Boat-motor.



G. D. SICKLI'ZSTIEL.l BOAT MOTOR APPLICATION FILED AUG29| 1914.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

En STAT-as PATENT carros. emanan srcxtasrani., or Roseanne, temeon. l i

Speciitcation of Lettersflatent.

Patented Aprn, 1915.

appueationmea August 29, 19.14. `serial No. 859,175.

effective motor especially adapted 'for use in boats, said motor being manually operated either -by the hands or ifeet, or b oththe hands and feet, of the operator ,who sits facing thebow of the boat.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide in connection with the hand operable motor actuating levers, steering levers so connected lwithvthe rudder that they Vmay be operated simultaneously with the hand propelling levers for directing the course of the boat.

With 'the above and other objects in view, the invention consistsin 'the novel construction, combination andarrangement of parts, as hereingescribed, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanyin 1 is a vertical longitu inal section ,through a boat equipped withthe manually operated motor of this invention, the motor being shown for a greater part in side elevation; Fig.. 2 is a plan view of ,the,same; Fig. 3.15 an enlarged plan view of the motor, with parts broken away in section; and-Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of one of the propelling levers, showing also the hand steering levers.

- Referring to-the drawings, ldesignates a boat of any 'suitable construction andy dimensions, the same being shown as resembling in shape and size an ,ordinary row boat provided with a rudder 2 carried by a rudder post 3 having fiXed 4on the upper end 4thereof a cross head 4, to which the steering connections yhereinafter described are attached.

In carrying out the invention I provide a motor supporting frame which is conveniently shown as -comprising the transverse sills 5 connected by the longitudinal stringers 6, said frame as a whole being securely fastened in the bottom of the boa-t as shown in Fig. 1.

7 designates the propeller shaft which is journaled in bearings 8 and 9, the latter being supported by anadditional tie bar 10 terminally vfastened at its opposite ends to drawings 'Q -Figure ments.

the longitudinal stringers 6. 'The propeller `shaft 17 is shown as provided with a fly-wheel -ll'between the'bearings 8 and'9 and the rear end portion of said propeller shaft passes throughla stuffing box 12 in the keel of the l'boat'gbeyond which it has fast ,thereon a propeller ,13 of any suitable type.

At its forward extremity the propeller shaft 7 has lfast thereon a beveled pinion 14 which meshes with and is driven by a vlarge 'beveled gear wheel 15 fixed on a rear crank shaft 416, the llatter'being journaled `in bearings 17 on one of the cross sills 5 of the motor frame and other bearings 18 on the longitudinal stringers 6. In advance of the crank shaft 6 and .extending parallel therewith is a forward crank shaft embodying the two sections a and b divided centrally from each other as shown in Fig. 3 and journaled in bearings 19 which may be fastened to the bottom of the boat or any other convenient support. On the outer ends of Y,the sectionalshaft a, b are ,fastened crank arms 2O from which link rods 21 extend rearwardly, lwhere they are journaled on other crank arms 22 fast on the opposite extremities ofthe crank shaft 16. The crank shaft sections a and b are provided with the oscillatory 'foot cranks 23 by means of which the "operator'by extending and retracting his legs may oscillate the forward crank shaft and thereby'through the medium of the link rods 21 impart a rotary movement to the rear crank shaft ,16. Hand propelling levers 24-are vjournaled intermediate their. ends on an elevated shaft 25. To the lower end of each of thel hand levers 24 there is attached ',a connecting rod orpitman 25', the opposite end of which is connected to one of a pair of cranks ,26, with which the shaft 16 is provided.' Thus the levers 24 are used in conjunction with the foot cranks 23 enabling the ,combined power of the arms and legs to be utilized for driving the propeller 13. It is also preferred to arrange the cranks and connections in such manner that when the right arm, for example, is drawn backwardly the right leg is extended and the same arrangement is provided with regards to the other hand and foot operating ele- This enables the operator to utilize the muscles of his arms andllegs to the best advantage, adapting the boat to be propelled at the maximum speed with the minimum amount of effort on part of the operator. It will furthermore be observed that the operator may use his feet to propel the boat while his hands remain idle or vice versa.

The steering apparatus comprises a pair of hand steering levers 27 of bell crank form as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4, each of ysaid levers being pivotally mounted at 28 on the respective hand propelling levers 24 and being limited as to its movement in one direction by meansofstops 29 and 30 located respectively on the levers 27 and 24 as shown in Fig. 4. To the levers 27 are attached the forward extremities of rearwardly extending wires or cables 31, each of which has incorporated therein a contractile spring 32. The wires ory cables31 are connected at their rear extremities to the opposite extremities of the cross head 4, the springs 32 serving to take up slack in the steering connections 31, `avoiding lost inotion and normally sustaining the rudder 2 in a centralposition so as to steer the v boat in a straight away direction. Either, of the steering hand levers 27 maybe operated independently of the other, the appropriate spring 32 allowing for the necessary stretch of one of the steering connections 3l to permit the'rudder to be turned to one side or the other. h

The bearings 19 of the forward crank shaft are supported at anelevation as'shown in F ig. 1 as by means of one or more posts 34 designates braces connecting said posts with the bottom of the boat. 35 designates the operators seat and 36 the passengers seat located in advance of the operators seat. Additional seats 37, 38y and 39.1nay be provided as founddesirable. The bearing 9 is preferably of the anti-friction ball type as illustrated in Fig. 3, so as to reduce friction adjacent to the intermeshing point of the wheels 14 and 15.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the acompanying drawings, it will now be understood that the motor is adapted to be driven by a single operator who may use either his hands or feet or both and4 that the steering of the boat is effected by the levers 27 y mounted upon and carried by the hand propelling levers 24, the operation of the levers 24 not interfering meissie with .the steering connections by means of the fact that the flexible cables or wires 31 pass around guiding sheaves or pulleys 40 on the shafts or rods 25 which are coincident with the axes of movement ofthe hand levers 24, rlherefore, the operation of the levers 24 willnot aEect the steering connections. lt will also be noted that the major portion of the motor is located under the operators seat where it-'is out of the way and takes up very little valuable space.

'lf claim 1. A boat motor comprising a motor supporting frame, a pair of crank shafts arranged one in advance of the other and in different horizontal planes, the forward crank shaft being provided with a pair of oscillatory foot cranks and being connected to the rear crank shaft for simultaneous operation, hand controlling levers operatively associated with the rear crank shaft, a propeller hshaft geared to one of said crank shafts, hand steering levers mounted on and carried by the hand vcontrolling levers, and steering connections leading from said hand steering levers to the rudder.

2. A boat motor comprising a motor supporting frame, a pair of crank shafts arranged/one in advance of the other and in different horizontal planes, the' forward crank shaft being provided with a pair of oscillatory foot cranks and being connected to the rear crank shaft for simultaneous op eration, hand controlling levers operatively associated with the re'ar crank shaft, a propeller shaft geared to one of saidv crank shafts, hand steering levers mounted on and carried by the hand controlling levers, steeri ing connections leading from said hand steering levers to the rudder, and guiding sheaves around which the steering connections pass, said sheaves having their axes co-incident with the axes of movement ofv the hand propelling levers.-

ln testimony whereof lf affix my signature in presence of two witnesses@ GEORGE D. SlUKLESTEEL. Witnesses:

BLANCHE REED, RITA K. COBB. 

